Thapunngaka shawi was a large toothed pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia. Its name-bearing fossil is only the front of a lower jaw, yet this fragment preserves a deep symphysis, large tooth sockets and a high bony crest. No skull, wing or trunk is known from the same individual.
The jaw was found near Richmond and described in 2021. It places the animal among anhanguerid pterosaurs, but does not by itself give a measured wingspan or reveal how it caught prey. Those limits matter when reading the full-body reconstruction in this pterosaur catalogue.
Quick facts
| Scientific name | Thapunngaka shawi Richards, Stumkat and Salisbury, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Group | Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae |
| Age | Early Late Cretaceous, Cenomanian |
| Locality | Near Richmond, north-western Queensland, Australia |
| Formation | Toolebuc Formation |
| Holotype | KKF 494, the front of the lower jaw without teeth |
| Estimated wingspan | About 5.8–6.4 m by comparison with relatives |
| Main uncertainty | The skull, wings and body are not preserved with the jaw |
What can the fossils tell us?
KKF 494 preserves the joined front of the lower jaws and a tall sagittal crest. Its rear, teeth and the rest of the skull are absent.
The positions and size of the alveoli are preserved. The teeth themselves are missing, so their exact crowns and wear are not directly documented by this specimen.
The wings are unknown. The estimate of about 5.8–6.4 metres scales the jaw against better-known anhanguerids and depends on their proportions.
The Toolebuc Formation records the Eromanga marine system. It supplies environmental context, but neither proves the animal's exact hunting route nor preserves a meal.
A discovery near Richmond
Len Shaw found the fossil in June 2011 on private land north-west of Richmond. It entered the collection of Kronosaurus Korner as specimen KKF 494. The two sides of the lower jaw meet at the symphysis, the fused front section that supported the tooth-bearing part of the mouth.
The jaw is incomplete behind the symphysis. Its teeth had been lost before or during fossilisation, but the alveoli remain and show where large teeth sat. The enclosing rock belongs to the Toolebuc Formation, deposited during the Cenomanian when an inland sea covered parts of central Australia.
What the jaw and crest show
The front of the jaw is deep and expanded, with a tall crest rising along the midline. The paired tooth sockets are large and consistent with the long, conical teeth typical of anhanguerids. The bone's reinforcement explains the descriptive word “deep”; it is not a measurement of bite force.
The crest may have affected display or the distribution of forces around the jaw, but the fossil does not show its colour, any keratin covering or how it functioned in life. Those details cannot be read from a bony outline alone. The known specimen also cannot show whether the crest changed as the animal grew.
An anhanguerid, but not a complete animal
The form of the symphysis, crest and tooth sockets supports placement among Anhangueridae, a group of toothed pterodactyloids. The original analysis compared it with several South American and Australian forms. A single jaw has fewer anatomical characters than a complete skull and skeleton, so its exact position within the family is less secure than the broader grouping.
The Australian Anhanguera offers a better-known comparison for the toothed jaw, but it cannot fill in every missing bone of Thapunngaka. The head behind the preserved symphysis and the body shown in illustrations remain reconstructions based on relatives.
How large was it?
The wings were not found with KKF 494. The often-quoted wingspan of roughly 5.8 to 6.4 metres was estimated by comparing the jaw with more complete pterosaurs. The method assumes that head and wing proportions were similar. If Thapunngaka had a relatively larger or smaller head, the result would shift.
The range identifies it as one of the largest Australian pterosaurs supported by diagnostic material. It does not establish an undisputed national record, because isolated bones assigned to other large forms are difficult to compare and may not be securely identified.
Life beside the Eromanga Sea
The Toolebuc Formation contains marine invertebrates, fishes and reptiles. Long conical teeth and this setting make fish or other slippery aquatic prey plausible. No stomach contents or bite marks connect a particular meal to the holotype, and the fossil does not record whether it took prey from the water surface, a shore or another setting.
A reconstruction may show a coastal flier, but deep diving, swimming underwater or a specific strike are not demonstrated by the jaw. The evidence establishes a large pterosaur with a distinctive lower jaw; the exact body outline, colour and behaviour remain less certain.
Frequently asked questions
What fossil of Thapunngaka was found?
The holotype is the front of a lower jaw, with a deep symphysis, a tall crest and large tooth sockets. The skull and wings are unknown.
How big was Thapunngaka?
A wingspan of about 5.8–6.4 metres has been estimated by comparison with better-known pterosaurs. No wing bone of the holotype preserves that measurement directly.
What did Thapunngaka eat?
Its tooth sockets and marine setting are consistent with fish or other slippery prey, but no meal is preserved with the type fossil.
Where did it live?
It is known from the Toolebuc Formation near Richmond in Queensland, deposited during the Cenomanian stage of the Cretaceous.